Penn State Prepares for Northwestern in Quiet

James Franklin lowered the volume at practice this week as the Lions ready for a visit to Ryan Field.

Penn State isn't playing much music at football practice this week. On Wednesday, some players asked coach James Franklin to turn up the Phil Collins, which usually roars from the speakers during a specific practice period. Franklin declined, because he's trying to simulate the atmosphere Penn State will face at Northwestern's Ryan Field on Saturday, and that means practicing in relative quiet.

"Just being very honest about what it’s going to be like," Franklin told reporters Wednesday after practice in State College. "These guys are 2-0 at home. If you look at Northwestern, they've typically had good home records. Why? Because it can be challenging to play there. They're used to the environment. Other people may not be. It's going to be very different than what we played in last week, so just being transparent and honest. Are we internally motivated or are we externally motivated? But for me to act like it's not a factor, it is."

Northwestern tight end Charlie Mangieri catches the game-winning touchdown in the Wildcats' win over Minnesota at Ryan Field :: David Banks/USA Today Sports

Unbeaten Penn State has hosted the two biggest crowds in college football this season, including last week's White Out game, whose announced attendance of 110,830 is the largest to watch an American football game this year. The crowd shook the Beaver Stadium press box every time it cheered. 

But this Saturday, the Lions will visit the team with the lowest average attendance in the Big Ten (17,500). Ryan Field is a beautifully set venue, but its crowds don't generate intimidating noise. For teams accustomed to big, loud venues, that can be jarring. So Franklin, who turns up the practice speakers to prepare for visits to Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin, turned down the volume this week. In some cases, he turned it off. Cornerback Daequan Hardy said he didn't pay much attention.

"I just try to go out there and just play to the best of my abilities, whether music's playing or not," Hardy said. "You've just got to do everything ourselves. We've got to just pick each other up. The big play happens, we gotta be the spark. Just go out there, have fun, just ball."

Northwestern has played better at home than on the road this season. The Wildcats (2-2) are averaging 37.5 points per game at Ryan Field and 10.5 on the road (at Rutgers and Duke). Over the past 10 seasons, the Wildcats are 32-11 at home when scoring 20 or more points.

Meanwhile, Penn State is 15-5 against Northwestern since joining the Big Ten, losing three of those games at Ryan Field. And Franklin has lost there twice: with Vanderbilt in 2013 and Penn State in 2015. Penn State beat Northwestern 31-7 in its last trip to Ryan Field in 2017.

"At the end of the day it's going to be about us executing our jobs and our assignments and playing the game for each other," Franklin said, "and playing the game for the love of the game and for our teammates and playing up to our standards no matter the circumstances."

Penn State and Northwestern kick off at noon ET on Big Ten Network.

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